Raw Materials

The raw materials used in the initial stages of optical fibre

manufacture include high quality synthetic quartz substrate
tubes, ultra-pure halides such as silicon tetrachloride (SiCl )
and germanium tetrachloride (GeCl ), as well as the gaseous
forms of pure oxygen (O ), Helium (He), Chlorine (Cl ),
Sulphurhexafluoride (SF ) and Nitrogen. It is important that the
above materials are free from foreign articles, and contain
very low concentrations (< 5 ppm) of water molecules.

Deposition
An oxy-hydrogen burner heats a section of the rotating quartz substrate tube to 1700 °C. This
creates a radial reaction zone where the oxidation of the halides occurs. The silicon dioxide
(SiO) and germanuim dioxide (GeO ) particles are
deposited in the inside of the tube, downstream from the
burner, by a process known as thermophoresis. Chlorine
which acts as a drying agent, is produced as a waste
product. As the burner repeatedly passes over the tube, it
sinters and melts the layers of sooty particles into
successive layers of glass. In the final few layers, the concentration of germanuim dioxide (GeO
) is increased, thereby creating a region of higher refractive index that will become the fibre
core.

Optical Fibre Cable Manufacturing Process

 Optical fibres in a cable are normally
protected in one of two ways, either
being tight buffered or contained in loose
tubes. When tight buffered the individual
optical fibre is covered directly with a
layer of thermoplastic material or one or
more fibres can be contained within a
loose tube which is filled with a
thixotropic gel. These processes are
performed on specially equipped extrusion lines. The tight buffered fibres or loose tubes are
then stranded, mostly incorporating aramid yarn as tensile strength members and a glass
reinforced polymer (GRP) rod as central strength members. SZ or conventional concentric
stranders are used for this process. Interstices (open spaces) can be filled with petroleum jelly
(PJ) or dry water swellable materials may be incorporated to protect against water penetration in
the final cable. The stranded assembly is then sheathed (covered with a layer of polyethylene or
other polymer material) on an extrusion line. For specific purposes an additional layer of
material can be added such as aramid yarn for additional strength or a corrugated steel tape for
increased mechanical protection (e.g. rodent proofing). Test and measurement of cable
parameters are conducted at various stages of production and prior to despatch to the
customer.

Collapse

Once the required number of layers of glass with the

appropriate refractive index have been deposited and
sintered by the burner, the tube is collapsed to form a solid
glass rod called a preform.

Sleeving
 In order to increase the length of fibre that can be drawn cost effectively
from a single preform, the preform volume is increased by sleeving.
This is done by inserting the preform into a thick syntetic quartz glass
tube. The two are then fused together at 2000 °C using an oxy-
hydrogen ring burner, which moves vertically upwards.

Optical Fibre and Cable Testing

Performance verification forms an integral part of

the manufacturing of optical fibre. The capability of
each length of optical fibre to meet the required
optical, geometrical, mechanical and dispersion
characteristics is determined for each length of fibre
before it is cabled. The optical attenuation is
rechecked after cabling, in order to verify that it has
not been significantly altered by the cabling
process. The capability of the cable to withstand the
rigours of installation and use are determined using
a wide range of mechanical tests that include
bending, flexing, torsion, impact resistance and
crush tests. This is done using specially
designed equipment that simulates field conditions
according to international standards. Special
emphasis is placed on tensile strength and environmental performance. ATC uses a holistic
approach to achieve an integrated cable/clamping system for aerial self-supporting cables.
Special test facilities and test methods are used to ensure long-term system reliability
Optical Fibre Drawing

Optical fibre is drawn by inserting the preform into a high temperature graphite
resistance furnace at 2100 °C. Argon and nitrogen gases provide an inert
atmosphere to prevent oxidation of the graphite. A laminar, filtered airflow
ensures that the preform surface remains clean. The furnace is located at the
top of the tower in a Class 100 clean room environment. The latter is very
important as any particles that adhere to the optical fibre during the drawing
process may act as a defect centre for crack propagation, causing the fibre to
break. The preform's tip softens in the furnace and is drawn down to a 125 µm
diameter optical fibre in a free-flow process (no dies are used). The core to
cladding ratio is maintained from the preform to the fibre. The optical fibre is
cooled in a helium cooling tube and coated with dual layers of ultraviolet
radiation cured acrylate resin, which provide protection against mechanical
damage and moisture ingress. For identification purposes, optical fibres are
coloured either by inking or by pigmentation in the coating process during fibre
drawing.